The electronic gaming machine (“EGM”) has mostly supplanted the traditional mechanically driven reel slot machine in recent years. Processor-based gaming machines have become the norm, due in part to the nearly endless variety of games and operator benefits that can be implemented using processor-based technology. Such processor-based gaming machines or EGMs permit the use of more complex games, advanced player tracking, improved security, cashless gaming, and wireless communications, and also add a host of other digital features that are just not possible on purely mechanical gaming machines.
Because casinos and other gaming establishments that utilize such EGMs comprise a multi-billion dollar industry where large sums of money or monetary credits can quickly change hands during many types of fast paced games, such gaming establishments are a prime target for cheating, stealing and other questionable activities. As such, the use of surveillance systems and other security measures are prevalent in the gaming industry. Examples of such systems and measures can be found in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,111,288; 5,258,837; 5,872,594; 6,166,763; and 7,525,570, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Many other examples of similar security systems and measures are also available, as will be readily appreciated, and such systems and measures can often apply to other environments outside of a gaming context.
Despite many advanced and extensive features, however, there are still various drawbacks to even the most modern security systems. For example, there can sometimes be more cameras than monitors or personnel available to review the numerous monitors in a given system. In addition, many cameras can be assigned to multiple areas or views, and some areas may be excluded from camera view entirely, such that it is not possible for a camera to monitor or record every possible view at all times. Furthermore, surveillance operators are often required to examine or monitor a substantial number of camera views or areas manually on a periodic basis, but high workloads and the substantial number of views required can render such a task as difficult or impossible even for a proficient operator. Manual review duties can also be further compromised by actual security events or alarms, whereby one or more operators abandon any normal surveying activities to respond to a security event.
As such, current security systems and methods can be labor intensive and thus costly, and can also introduce a wide variety of human-related errors, such as inattentiveness, slowness, and the inherent inability to see and process all things at all times. Although some advances have been made in the field of automated video surveillance and overall security in general, such as those disclosed in the references listed above, such systems can be unreliable and still tend to require a high degree of manual intervention.
While many designs and techniques used to provide security in a gaming establishment have generally worked well in the past, there is always a desire to provide further devices and techniques to allow for the gathering of additional data that may be relevant to actual security events in a gaming environment.